Cercocebus (white-eyelid mangabeys or just mangabeys) and Mandrillus (mandrill and drill) monkeys are some of the most threatened and least known African primates. Although they live in the dense forests of equatorial Africa, they spend large amounts of time on the forest floor travelling and looking for food.
There are nine species and two subspecies of Cercocebus and Mandrillus primates. All but one are classified as threatened by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), with five listed as Endangered and one as Critically Endangered.
Illustrations by Stephen D. Nash
Despite their wide distribution, ranging from Senegal all the way to Tanzania and Kenya; Cercocebus and Mandrillus are generally poorly known. For most taxa we have very limited information on their distribution- let alone their population numbers; their behaviour and ecology, which curtails our ability to develop more species-specific conservation interventions.
Map by Angeliki Savvantoglou
All Cercocebus and Mandrillus species are highly frugivorous, and, as such, key seed dispersers, responsible for maintaining healthy forest ecosystems. With their declining numbers, we can expect to see changes in the floral composition, forest structure and function.
This Action Plan is a call to action for the global conservation community, as well as national governments, multilateral organisations, zoological societies, wildlife centres, civil society organisations, academic institutions and communities that are stakeholders in the conservation of Cercocebus and Mandrillus. Only by taking now aggressive action to prevent further loss of these taxa and their habitats will we ensure their long-term survival
Picture by Patrick McLaughlin